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We talk with designers and makers about what it really takes to build a creative business. Then we recommend great stuff we're loving right now.

LATEST EPISODE

Podcast Episode #170: Allison Hoffman

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about building a business crocheting dolls with my guest Allison Hoffman.

Allison Hoffman has been crocheting and designing fun amigurumi for over a decade, has written five crochet books, and lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and three sons. She spends her workdays crocheting weird stuff, writing down how she did it, and you can find out all about it at her website, craftyiscool.com. Her two newest books are “Crochet ‘The Golden Girls’” and “‘Friends’ Crochet”, both to be released Fall of 2020.

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THE HOST

Find out what it takes to build a business in the crafts industry. In each episode host, and Craft Industry Alliance co-founder, Abby Glassenberg, interviews a creative entrepreneur to learn about their journey to success. Hear their stories and find out how to earn a living through a love of craft.

FEATURED EPISODES

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about running a brick-and-mortar and online yarn shop with my guest, Laura Zander. Laura is the co-owner of Jimmy Beans Wool. Along with her husband Doug, she worked as software engineers during...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we're talking about quilting as an art form with my guest, Denyse Schmidt. A former graphic designer and graduate of Rhode Island School of design, Denyse Schmidt began creating quilts in 1996. Intrigued by...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about building a retail fabric and yarn shop, both online and in a brick-and-mortar setting, with my guests Joelle Hoverson and Page Marchese Norman. Joelle and Page, along with Jennifer Hoverson...

BROWSE ALL EPISODES

Please note that this show was previously called the While She Naps podcast. On October 1, 2019, it was renamed the Craft Industry Alliance podcast. The name has changed, but the mission of the show, the host, and the style are the same.

In this podcast interview with amigurumi designer Allison Hoffman, we talk about how she got into crocheting life-like dolls of famous people, how she’s been able to write 5 craft books, and the controversy she ran into recently due to creating a Baby Yoda doll and crochet pattern.

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about building a quilting business with my guest Amy Smart.​ Amy has loved sewing as long as she can remember. She started quilting in earnest after the birth of her first baby 21 years ago,...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we're talking about building a crochet business with my guest Toni Lipsey. Toni is the designer and instructor behind TL Yarn Crafts. Through her printable patterns and cheery video tutorials, she strives to...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about building an ecommerce apparel business with my guests David and Holly Lesue. Holly is a quilter. She runs Maker Valley—a brand for creative makers (quilters and sewists)—where she designs...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about building a sewing pattern business with my guest Norma Loehr. Norma is the founder and creative director of Orange Lingerie. After a career in financial services, she started Orange...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about building a business as a paper flower artist with my guest Kate Alarcon. Kate Alarcón is known for her signature designs of uncommon paper botanicals. She teaches flower crafting workshops...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about​ building a business in rug hooking with my guest Rose Pearlman. Rose is an artist and teacher who focuses on textile design. Her workshops center on ways of making beautiful home objects...

Today on the show we’re talking about fostering creativity through daily practice with my guest Windy Chien. Windy Chien is best known for her 2016 work, The Year Of Knots, in which she learned a new knot every day for a year. Her work ranges in size from a knot that...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about collaborations with my guest Angela Smith and Liz Gipson. Angela founded Purl & Loop in 2012 after realizing her “ladder was against the wrong wall” in her sales career and she was...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we’re talking about building a business as a paper artist with my guest Abigail McMurray of Yeiou Paper Objects. I visited Abigail in her studio in Arlington, Massachusetts to record this interview which was a...

Today we have a special episode of the podcast recorded at Fall Quilt Market in Houston, Texas. International Quilt Market is a trade show for the fabric and quilt industry. It takes place twice a year, in October and May, and is a time when quilt shop owners from all...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about building a fiber business with my guest Felicia Lo. Felicia is a designer and entrepreneur, born and raised in Vancouver, Canada. Her lifelong passion for knitting, color, and design led...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about goal setting and getting things done with my guest Elise Blaha Cripe. Elise Blaha Cripe lives with her husband and two young daughters in San Diego, California. She has been sharing thoughts...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about discovering the life you’re meant to live as a maker with my guest Melanie Falick. Melanie Falick is an independent writer, editor, and creative director—and a lifelong maker. She is the...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about building an illustration business with my guest, Stacie Bloomfield. Stacie Bloomfield is the founder of the company Gingiber, based in Springdale Arkansas. She is an illustrator and...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we're talking about building a business in the sewing industry with my guest, Pati Palmer. Pati is the driving force behind the Palmer/Pletsch publishing company which has published dozens of sewing books and...

Photo of Lisa Solomon by Sarah Deragon. On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we're talking about making a career as an artist with my guest, Lisa Solomon. Lisa Solomon is a mixed media artist whose work has been exhibited and collected all over...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about running a brick-and-mortar and online yarn shop with my guest, Laura Zander. Laura is the co-owner of Jimmy Beans Wool. Along with her husband Doug, she worked as software engineers during...

Please note that this episode has audio difficulties. We did the best we could in post-production, but it's not ideal. Please accept our sincere apology. Sarah was awesome. On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we're talking about making a living...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we're talking about building a new sewing blog and business with my guest, Sarah Kirsten Anderson of the blog and sewing pattern company SARAH KIRSTEN. Sarah is a sewing educator, sewing pattern designer,...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we're talking about running an indie sewing pattern business with my guest Taylor McVay of Blueprints for Sewing. Taylor McVay is a designer, artist, and educator. She creates sewing patterns for unique,...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we're talking about quilting as an art form with my guest, Denyse Schmidt. A former graphic designer and graduate of Rhode Island School of design, Denyse Schmidt began creating quilts in 1996. Intrigued by...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we're talking about running a fabric, notions, and gifts company with my guests, Mark, Brian, and Josh Dunn of Moda and United Notions. Mark Dunn got his start in the fabric industry in 1966 working with his...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we're talking about building a career as an artist who makes quilts with my guest, Jane Sassaman. After a varied career in the design world, Jane Sassaman began to quilt in 1980. She found that these “soft...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about building a retail fabric and yarn shop, both online and in a brick-and-mortar setting, with my guests Joelle Hoverson and Page Marchese Norman. Joelle and Page, along with Jennifer Hoverson...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about building a handmade business with my guest, Jessica Marquez. Jessica is a life long maker who found her way back to textiles while working on an MFA in Photography from Rochester Institute...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about building a business as a quilt pattern designer, author, and blogger with my guest, Amy Friend. I had the pleasure of visiting Amy in her home studio in West Newbury, Massachusetts, and...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about running a wholesale distribution company with my guest, Brad Krieger. Brad is the president of Checker Distributors, a company his grandparents, Bob and Del Krieger, founded in 1948. Based...

This week on the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about running a fabric company with my guests Pat and Walter Bravo. Pat and Walter own Art Gallery Fabrics, a manufacturer of premium fabrics for the quilting industry. They are two soulmates who live life...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about running a wholesale distribution company with my guests Stan and Brittany Gray. Stan Gray is the owner of E.E. Schenck Company, which is a distributor, converter and wholesaler of all types...

On this episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about becoming a fabric designer with my guest, Katarina Roccella. Katarina was born in 1975 in Belgrade, Serbia where she lives with her husband and three kids Nina works as a licensed artist for...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about product development and building an embroidery business with my guest, Megan Eckman of Studio MME. Megan is the owner and head designer of Studio MME, a company that creates approachable...

This episode of the podcast is a little bit different because it's the annual Community Episode. As we wrap up the year I turn to you, my listeners, and ask you to recommend great stuff you're enjoying right now. I have to say this is one of my favorite episodes of...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about building a business as a surface designer with my guest, Erin Dollar. Erin Dollar is the textile designer behind the home decor brand Cotton & Flax. She's known for her minimalist-modern...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about the quilting industry. I recorded this episode at Fall Quilt Market in Houston, Texas on Friday, November 2, and it was a neat experience! Quilt Market is the trade show for the sewing...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we’re talking about online learning with my guests Ursula Morgan and Julie Roehm. Ursula is the CEO of Creativebug, the award-winning DIY art and craft instruction site with 1,000+ videos for all skill levels....

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about building a career as a quilter with my guest, Molli Sparkles. Molli Sparkles is a multi-award-winning quilt maker who describes himself as a quiltmaker to the stars, fearless leader of the...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about going from blogger to author and teacher with my guest, Anne Weil. Anne is the creator of the blog Flax & Twine and a designer of patterns and projects that have been published by Martha...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about building a handmade clothing brand with my guest, Courtney Chu, of the handmade clothing brand CourtneyCourtney. Courtney Chu was trained as an industrial designer and worked as a children’s...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about building a career in as an expert in the quilting industry with my guest, Ebony Love. An award-winning author and quilter Ebony is recognized as one of the leading experts in fabric...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about creating a quilt show with my guest, Matt Reese. Matt is the owner of Road to California, the premier consumer quilt show west of the Rocky Mountains. Road to California features over 1,000...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about running an online and brick-and-mortar fabric shop with my guest, Kelly Stevens of Superbuzzy. After finishing graduate school and some years working in higher education administration,...

*Note that the sound quality is not as crisp as usual in this interview. Carolyn is a fantastic guest and I hope you'll stick with it nonetheless. On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about elevating haberdashery with my guest,...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about textile design with my guest, Jen Hewett. Jen is currently on a book tour and she came to visit me while in the Boston area so we recorded this interview in my house. It was so lovely to...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about the business of fabric with my guests, Hailey Hoffman Chisholm and Aaron Hoffman of Hoffman California Fabrics. Together, Aaron and Hailey represent the fourth generation of the Hoffman...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about using craft as community organizing with my guest Shannon Downey. Shannon Downey is an instigator. Currently, she is the Director of Development for Asian Americans Advancing Justice in...